# Emmitt Smith to retire as a Cowboy. Does it mean anything? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 3, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199 "2005-02-03T17:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/1 "2005-02-03T17:23:45Z")
From [this](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=10&u=/ap/20050203/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_emmitt_retires) story. > [@](#): > > He is expected to sign a one-day contract with Dallas so he can retire as a Cowboy. Dallas owner Jerry Jones will be at the ceremony. Is there any reason (aside from pure ceremony) that he would do this? Does it affect his place in the Hall of Fame if he retires as a Cardinal as opposed to a Cowboy? I remeber when Phil Niekro retired, he signed a contract to pitch in one more game for Atlanta. It was an embarassment for him. Is Smith going to play a game for Dallas next year, or is this simply a meaningless one-day-in-the-offseason contract? Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/2 "2005-02-03T17:29:29Z")
My understanding is that it’s just for the ceremony of it. Thurman Thomas did it with the Buffalo Bills a few years back, and I remember thinking how lame it was. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/3 "2005-02-03T17:36:50Z")
Does it have any effect on what uniform gets placed in the Hall of Fame? Or can he choose which one goes in? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/4 "2005-02-03T17:37:43Z")
No effect at all. It’s pure sentiment (plus a way of selling tickets to he his “final games”). ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/5 "2005-02-03T19:40:41Z")
Ronnie Lott did that with the SF 49ers. Kind of a classy thing for an organization to do with their former stars. But no effective effect on anything. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/6 "2005-02-03T20:12:42Z")
Be pretty damned funny if some very **minor** emergency befell him- say, a bad broken tooth- and he had to postpone the ceremony for a day. Just a day. Just enough time. A one-day contract? Feh. Cartooniverse p.s. No, I do not wish any kind of ill to befall this gentleman. I’m just saying. ---
**Author:** ![jester21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed655f/32.png) [@jester21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jester21)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/7 "2005-02-03T20:24:04Z")
according to [espn.com](http://espn.com), it is a One-Day contract. For purposes of retiring as a Cowboy ONLY. Not to play any more games. MANY long time players do this. Why? Simply sentimental reasons. Eddie Murray of the Detroit Lions did the same thing, back in the early 90’s. I do not believe it has any relevant bearing on the HoF. I would amagine, the HoF would go primarily w/ said player’s most dominate team or said player’s preference. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/8 "2005-02-03T20:34:36Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Does it have any effect on what uniform gets placed in the Hall of Fame? Or can he choose which one goes in? That’s exactly it. It’s my understanding that when a player goes to the Hall of Fame, he’s memorialized in the last jersey he played for. Or owned, whatever. Emmit wants to be remembered as a Dallas Cowboy; the Dallas Cowboys organization wants him to be remembered as a Cowboy as well. Hence the one day contract. He ain’t gonna play for them again. I _think_ that Joe Montana had a similar loophole. He went in as a 49’er, not as Chief. I could be wrong, but I’d lay money on it. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/9 "2005-02-03T20:40:02Z")
You don’t go in as anything (Cowboy, Chief, etc). You go in as a player. However, he just wants max attention, like max blocking from his max line. In Arizona, any fanfare during the season, and all the ass-kissing ceremonies will pale in comparison to the oral sex he’ll get as a Cowboy doing his 16 plus week tour. Barry Sanders, I really miss you. F---- you, Emmit! ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/10 "2005-02-03T20:51:10Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > That’s exactly it. It’s my understanding that when a player goes to the Hall of Fame, he’s memorialized in the last jersey he played for. Or owned, whatever. Emmit wants to be remembered as a Dallas Cowboy; the Dallas Cowboys organization wants him to be remembered as a Cowboy as well. Hence the one day contract. He ain’t gonna play for them again. > > I _think_ that Joe Montana had a similar loophole. He went in as a 49’er, not as Chief. > > I could be wrong, but I’d lay money on it. The players are memorialized with a bust, there is no jersey. ---
**Author:** ![Frank\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Frank\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank_2)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/11 "2005-02-03T21:23:47Z")
The Eagles have done this for many of their former players. Randal Cunningham, Clyde Simmons, and Seth Joyner to name a couple. While it didn’t make much news, back in December Brian Mitchell signed a one-day contract to retire as a Redskin. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emmitt-smith-to-retire-as-a-cowboy-does-it-mean-anything/288199/12 "2005-02-03T21:28:27Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > The players are memorialized with a bust, there is no jersey. Well, I guess that’s why I don’t gamble. Moral: Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. 😃